Berlin Wall Counterculture Analysis

The entire world was almost destroyed during the Cuban Missile Crisis as the U.S. and Soviet Union were mere inches away from a nuclear war. Many people lived in fear all over the world as families were separated by the Berlin Wall, men as young as 18 drafted into combat, and the advancement of nuclear weapons. The Cold War was a very significant portion of both American and World History. Lasting nearly 47 years, 1945-1991, this competition for world dominance by the Democratic United States (U.S) and Totalitarian Soviet Union brought high tensions throughout the entire world. This included Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East because they were affected by foreign policies. In the United States, a counterculture emerged, opposing all …show more content…
The United States and Soviet Union both intended to spread their Democratic and Communistic ideals. At the same time, both exhausted themselves to ensure that one did not advance more than the other. “Berlin Wall (known as Berliner Mauer in German) was a physical division between West Berlin and East Germany in order to keep East Germans from feeling to the West... When East Germany became its own country, it was under the direct influence of the Soviet Union and thus a Communist society was established. In East Germany, the economy dragged and individual freedoms were severely restricted (Rosenberg, Jennifer.)” The purpose for the Berlin Wall was to protect the Communistic government of the East because it was feared that the U.S. would take over with their Democracy. By building this wall, the people in the East were forced to live in the Communistic state. This barrier splitting the capital of Germany separated families and kept those on the East from getting job opportunities. “75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south... American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf.” Korea was split in half; North was Communists and South agreed with U.S. beliefs. When the Communists aggressively attempted to spread their ideals by crossing the border, it resulted in a hot war. The demand for spreading or protecting ideals led to social difficulties with families and freedom, as well as leading to more hot wars. These could have been prevented if the U.S. and Soviet Union did not pose such idealistic threats to one another. It is essential to know that spreading one’s beliefs is not the utmost profitable and these lessons are to be taken heavily because if repeated once more, it could